Why Firing Clients “is not” OK

The worst thing for a business is to lose a client; this is why it always strikes me as odd when I hear MSP’s and IT companies bragging about the client or clients they have fired. Though everyone has those clients that are difficult, eat into profits, and take valuable time, there is usually a reason this is occurring, and often times the issues can lie with the MSP.

All of this may come back to a proper evaluation and onboarding. A noisy and unhappy client usually can be attributed to overlooking details about the state of the network, old applications, failing equipment, or a host of other things that either get overlooked or looked past in order to make the sale. It is easy to want a managed service sale so bad that a blind eye is turned to possible issues.

The network evaluation, which is often rushed, is important in understanding what a company is getting into to support a network but even beyond that, the evaluation should include questions regarding the clients’ previous service company and why they are leaving or have left that provider. This will help to gauge the needs of the client as well as give insight into the potential for possible incompatibilities. It is important for MSP’s to understand the clients’ expectations as well as provide a complete and thorough explanation of the level of service that will be provided to them.

Setting the correct expectations is where many MSP’s fail with new clients. It is easy in a sales engagement to nod and say, “Yes we will do that” and “Sure we will take care of that,” but these words in the beginning can set a unreasonable expectation, which later leads to a failed relationship.

Though this doesn’t describe all client relationships, I bet if you looked back at the clients you have had to fire, you could contribute some to an improper evaluation or onboarding. Firing clients is not OK, and every fired client should be evaluated and studied for what to avoid in the future so it does not occur again. A client that has been fired is bad for business, they generally are much more vocal in the community about your failed relationship, and can easily cost you future business.